The single biggest unforced error we see: paying a foreign-transaction fee on every card swipe for two weeks straight because nobody checked before leaving. Most decent travel cards waive it; most everyday cards don't. It's a five-minute check that's worth doing before, not after.
On cash: carry enough for the first 24 hours (a taxi, a meal, a tip) in the local currency, withdrawn from an ATM rather than exchanged at the airport — airport exchange counters are reliably the worst rate you'll find. After that, let the trip tell you how much cash it actually needs; some destinations run almost entirely on card, others still expect cash for the small, best things — a market stall, a family-run trattoria.
On "dynamic currency conversion" — when a card terminal or ATM abroad offers to charge you in your home currency instead of the local one — always decline it. It sounds like a convenience; it's a worse exchange rate, every time.
None of this requires much planning, just a little of it in advance, which is generally true of travel and money both.
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